Methods of making slide-zippered reclosable packages on horizontal form-fill-seal machines

ABSTRACT

Methods of making slide-zippered reclosable packages are provided. In one embodiment, a pair of opposing film extensions are provided on each package between which a zipper and slider are attached. In another embodiment, sliders are inserted on to zippered packages output from a form-fill-seal machine or the like. In yet another embodiment, during package formation a reclosable zipper is sealed to each package and then a slider is inserted on to the zipper. In yet another embodiment, during package formation a reclosable zipper is sealed to each package and a slider is inserted on to each zipper, either before or after zipper sealing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to the field of reclosablepackaging. More particularly, the present invention relates to methodsof making reclosable packages having slide zippers on horizontalform-fill-seal (HFFS) machines.

[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0004] Methods of making reclosable packages on various types of HFFSmachines are well-known in the reclosable packaging art, such as thatdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,842. Slide zippers, i.e., plasticzippers opened and closed by a slider, are likewise well-known in thereclosable packaging art. Examples of several types of slide zippers canbe found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,007,143, 5,008,971, 5,131,121 and5,664,299.

[0005] The reclosable packaging art, however, is virtually, if nottotally, silent as it relates to the manufacture of slide-zipperedpackages on HFFS machines. Because of the facility which is provided byslide zippers to consumers of reclosable packages and because of thelarge volume of reclosable packages made on HFFS machines today, it ishighly desirable and advantageous to combine the two technologies sothat slide-zippered reclosable packages can be made on HFFS machines.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to providemethods of making slide-zippered reclosable packages on HFFS machines.

[0007] According to a first embodiment of the present invention, a chainof packages is formed, filled and sealed on an HFFS machine or the like.A pair of opposing film extensions are provided on each-package. As thechain of packages is indexed forwardly, a reclosable zipper is insertedbetween the film extensions of the leading package and sealed thereto. Aslider is then inserted on to the reclosable zipper of the leadingpackage and the completed leading package is cut from the chain.

[0008] According to a second embodiment of the present invention,packages having reclosable zippers are output from an HFFS machine orthe like, either individually or in a chain. A slider is then insertedon to the zipper of each package in turn.

[0009] According to a third embodiment of the present invention,packages are formed, filled and sealed on an HFFS machine or the like.During package formation, a reclosable zipper is sealed to each packageand then a slider is inserted on to the zipper.

[0010] According to a fourth embodiment of the present invention,packages are formed, filled and sealed on a horizontal form-verticalfill-seal (HVFS) machine or the like. During package formation, areclosable zipper is sealed to each package and a slider is inserted onto each zipper, either before or after zipper sealing.

[0011] The present invention will now be described in detail, withfrequent reference being made to the drawings identified below in whichthe same numerals represent the same elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] In the accompanying drawings:

[0013]FIG. 1 shows packages being made on an HFFS machine in accordancewith a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0014]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a package made on the HFFS machineof FIG. 1 prior to attaching the zipper;

[0015]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the HFFS machine of FIG. 1 atthe slider insertion point;

[0016]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a first variation of the HFFSmachine of FIG. 1;

[0017]FIG. 5 shows sliders being inserted on a chain of packages inaccordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0018]FIG. 6 shows sliders being inserted on to individual packages inaccordance with a variation of the second embodiment of the presentinvention;

[0019]FIG. 7 shows packages being made on an HFFS machine in accordancewith a third embodiment of the present invention;

[0020]FIG. 7a is a cross-sectional view of the HFFS machine of FIG. 7 atthe first zipper sealing station;

[0021]FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the HFFS machine of FIG. 7;

[0022]FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a package made on the HFFSmachine of FIG. 7;

[0023]FIG. 10 shows packages being made on an HFFS machine in accordancewith a variation of the third embodiment of the present invention;

[0024]FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of packages being made on theHFFS machine of FIG. 10;

[0025]FIG. 12 shows packages being made on an HFVS machine in accordancewith a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

[0026]FIG. 13 shows packages being made on an HFVS machine in accordancewith a first variation of the fourth embodiment of the presentinvention;

[0027]FIG. 14 shows packages being made on an HFVS machine in accordancewith a second variation of the fourth embodiment of the presentinvention;

[0028]FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of reclosable zipper beingsealed to one package side in the HFVS machine of FIG. 14;

[0029]FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of a package prior to beingfilled on the HFVS machine of FIG. 14;

[0030]FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of a tamper evident sealed beingplaced on a package made on the HFVS machine of FIG. 14;

[0031]FIG. 18 shows packages being made on an HFVS machine in accordancewith a third variation of the fourth embodiment of the presentinvention; and

[0032]FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of a package being formed on theHFVS machine of FIG. 18.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0033] In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention,FIG. 1 shows how slide-zippered packages can be made on a typicalthermoform HFFS machine 10. Forming film 12 is indexed off a coil 14 ofthe same in a package forming direction. Downstream of the forming filmcoil 14 at a forming station 15 the forming film 12 is thermoformed,using techniques well-known to those of ordinary skill in the reclosablepackaging art, into a chain 13 of advancing box-like bottom portions ortrays 16 of what will ultimately be completed packages. Product may thenbe loaded into the bottom portions 16 at a loading station 17 ifdesired. After optional product loading, top film 18 is indexed off acoil 20 of the same in the package forming direction, laid over theadvancing bottom portions 16 and perimeterly sealed thereto at fourlocations 22, 24; 26, 28 at a sealing station 21 to form a sealedpackage 29, as shown in FIG. 2. The seal at the package opening 22 takesthe form of a peel seal so that the consumer can easily gain access tothe contents of the package.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 2, which is a perspective view of a sealedpackage 29 formed on the thermoform HFFS machine of FIG. 1 prior tozipper and slider insertion, the bottom portion 16 and top film 18 areeach provided with film extensions 30, 32 which extend beyond the peelseal 22 on one side of the package 29. The film extensions 30, 32 arenot sealed to each other and may readily be spread apart from eachother.

[0035] After the top film 18 is sealed to the bottom portion 16 at thesealing station 21, the package chain 13 enters a zipper and sliderinsertion and attaching station 34. At this station 34 the filmextensions 30, 32 of the leading package are spread apart from eachother and interlocked reclosable zipper 36 supplied from a coil 38 ofthe same is fed between the film extensions 30, 32, as shown in FIG. 3,which is a cross-sectional view of the package chain and zipper andslider insertion and attaching station 34. The zipper is comprised oftwo interlocking closure elements 39, 41 and flanges 40, 42 extendingtherefrom which are sealed to the film extensions 30, 32, such as by apair of seal bars (not shown). After the zipper 36 is thus sealed to thefilm extensions of the leading package, the zipper 36 is stomped at eachend of the package by a stomping apparatus (not shown) to provide endstops for the slider and to ensure that the ends of the zipper 36 do notcome apart during use.

[0036] A slider 44 is then removed from a coil 46 thereof and insertedon to the zipper 36 by a slider insertion apparatus (not shown). Theslider and zipper are designed such that the slider will open the zipperas the slider is moved along the zipper in an opening direction towardsan opening end of the zipper and close the zipper as the slider is movedalong the zipper in a closing direction towards a closing end of thezipper. It is preferable during slider insertion that the slider beinserted at the closing end of the zipper since the zipper is initiallyinterlocked. The slider will thus be positioned for normal functioning.If the slider is inserted at a location other than at the closing end,it will be necessary to actuate the slider by moving it to the closingend, after which the slider will be in position for normal functioning.Such actuation may be done on the HFFS machine, or it may be done by theinitial package user.

[0037] After slider insertion, the leading package is cross-cut from theremainder of the chain 13 by any one of many commonly known cuttingapparatuses (not shown) to remove a completed package 48 having a slidezipper.

[0038] In practice, the package chain 13 may be a single chain as shownin FIG. 3, or, alternatively, may be a multiple chain, such as thedouble chain 50 shown in cross-section in FIG. 4. In the case of adouble chain, where two packages are joined side by side, the process ofmaking the packages is virtually identical to that described above,except that the zippers and sliders are attached to the opposite sides47, 49 of the package chain simultaneously, as shown in FIG. 4, thusrequiring two zipper and slider insertion and attaching stations 34.Additionally, a second cut is needed in the machine direction along thecentral axis 51 of the chain to remove the side-by-side packages fromone another.

[0039] The foregoing embodiment of the present invention is not limitedto practice on thermoform HFFS machines, but may be practiced on anytype of package making machine where the packages are formed with filmextensions 30, 32 of the type discussed above.

[0040]FIGS. 5 and 6 depict a second embodiment of the present invention.Zippered packages 52, either in a chain 54 as shown in FIG. 5 orindividually as shown in FIG. 6, are output from an HFFS machine (notshown), or any other type of bag making machine. In the case of FIG. 5,the package chain 54 is indexed into a slider insertion station 56. Atthe slider insertion station 56 or at an earlier station, the ends ofthe zipper 36 on the leading package in the chain 54 are stomped asdiscussed above. Then, a slider 44 is removed from the slider coil 46and inserted on to the zipper 36. Finally, a completed package 58 have aslide zipper is cross-cut from the chain by a cutting apparatus (notshown).

[0041] In the case of FIG. 6, the packages 52 are individual and notchained together. The individual packages 52 are transported one by oneinto the slider insertion station 56 by a conveyor belt 60 or the like,where the ends of the zipper 36 on the leading package are stomped(unless the stomping was done during package formation) and a slider 44is removed from the slider coil 46 and inserted on to the zipper 36 toprovide a completed slide-zippered package 58.

[0042] In accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention,FIG. 7 shows a thermoform HFFS machine 62 configured to makeslide-zippered packages. As in FIG. 1, the forming film 12 is indexedoff a coil 14 of the same. Downstream of the forming film coil 14 at aforming station 15 the forming film 12 is thermoformed into a chain 13of box-like bottom portions or trays 16 of what will ultimately becompleted packages. Product may then be loaded into the bottom portions16 at the loading station 17 if desired. Each bottom portion 16 isprovided with a lip 64 on one side thereof, as shown in FIG. 8, which isa cross-sectional view of the chain 13. After optional product loading,the reclosable zipper 36 is indexed off a coil 38 of the same and laidover the lips 64 of the bottom portions 16. The lower zipper flange 42is then sealed to the lips 64 by a sealing mechanism, such as a heaterbar 63, at a sealing station 68. The heater bar 63 is positioned belowthe lips 64, as shown in FIG. 7a, which is a cross-sectional view ofzipper attachment to the package lips. Also shown in FIG. 7a is aninsulating and guide plate 67 positioned between the zipper flanges. Theinsulating and guide plate 67 provides a surface for the heater bar toreact against and removes any danger of sealing through the zipperflanges, thereby eliminating the need for accurate heat control. Theinsulating and guide plate 67 also serves to guide and position thezipper onto the package lips to ensure accurate sealing.

[0043] A slider 44 is then removed from the slider coil 46 and insertedon to the zipper 36 of the instant bottom portion 16 at an insertionstation 70. After slider insertion, the ends of the zipper are stomped.Alternatively, the zipper ends could have been stomped together earlier,either on the machine or pre-stomped prior to winding on the supplycoil, and the zipper indexed to the bottom portion. The top film 18 isthen indexed off the top film coil 20, laid over the formed bottoms 16and the attached zipper 36 and sealed to the formed bottoms 16 and theupper flange 40 of the zipper 36 around the perimeter of the package ata second sealing station 72. As discussed above, the seal at the mouthof the package may take the form of a peel seal to provide easy accessto the contents of the package. Optionally, the top film 18, if it islong enough, may be heat tacked to the bottom portion 16 over the zipper36 to provide a tamper evident seal 65, as shown in FIG. 9. In the finalstep, the completed packages 48 are cross-cut from the chain at acutting station 74. If a double chain is used, as shown in FIG. 8, thenthe side-by-side packages must also be cut from each other in themachine direction.

[0044] When making packages using multiple package chains, it is notnecessary that the zippers and sliders be applied to opposite sides 47,49 of the package chain, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 8. Rather, it is alsopossible to apply the zippers and sliders to the same sides of thepackages. For example, a triple package chain is shown in FIGS. 10 and11. In this case the top film 18 is pre-perforated so that it can besplit into three sections and laid over each of the bottom portions 16.This splitting is achieved by a separator assembly 78 having threeL-shaped separator plates 78 a, 78 b, 78 c. As the top film 18 isindexed off its roll 20, the vertical portions of the separator plates78 a, 78 b, 78 c split the pre-perforated top film 18 into threeportions 18 a, 18 b, 18 c and guide the three top film portions as theyare laid over their corresponding bottom portions 16. Additionally, thehorizontal portions of the separator plates interact with the sealingmechanism to ensure that there is no seal through, eliminating the needfor accurate heat control.

[0045] As indicated above, the present invention is not limited tothermoform HFFS machines, but may be practiced on any type of HFFSmachine and on any type of bag making machine for that matter. FIG. 12shows how slide-zippered packages can be made on a horizontalform-vertical fill-seal machine (HFVS) 80 in accordance with a fourthembodiment of the present invention.

[0046] Package film 82 is paid off a roll 84 of the same. Downstream apull roller 98 is provided for driving the film 82 through the machine.A folder plow 86 positioned downstream of the film roll 84 folds thepackage film 82 about a bottom crease 83 to form opposing package walls116, 118. Interlocked reclosable zipper 36 is then paid off a roll 38 ofthe same and fed between the advancing package walls. Sliders 44 areinserted on to the reclosable zipper 36 prior to the folder plow 86 atpackage width intervals at what will be the closing end of the zipper bya slider insertion mechanism at the slider insertion station 88. Thesliders 44 are supplied from the slider coil 46.

[0047] At a first sealing station 90, the zipper flanges 40, 42 aresealed to the opposing package walls. Then at stomping stations 92, theends of the zipper 36 for a given package are stomped. At a secondsealing station 94, the folded film and zipper are cross-sealed to formdiscrete packages.

[0048] Because the zippers are closed, it is necessary to open thezippers in order to fill the packages. This is achieved at a slideropening station 96, where the slider is held in position as the zipperand film are advanced when the pull rollers 98 are activated. As thezipper moves through the slider, it is opened. Alternatively, the slideritself may be moved. Then, at a cutting station 100 the individualpackages 102 are cut from one another. The separated packages 102 arethen taken to the filling station 104 where they are filled. Filling mayoccur by means of a filling turret 106 or the packages may be filledin-line, both of which techniques are well-known to those of ordinaryskill in the art. After a package is filled, the slider 44 is movedbacked to the closing end of the zipper. Finally, a tamper evident 108seal may optionally be provided above the zipper 36. Completedslide-zippered packages 110 are then output from the machine.

[0049] A first variation of the fourth embodiment is shown in FIG. 13.As is clear from FIG. 13, the sliders are attached downstream of thefolder plow 86, rather than upstream of the folder plow 86.Additionally, the sliders 44 are attached to the zippers 36 at theiropening ends, rather than at their closing ends as above. Thus, in orderto open the zippers for package filling the zippers must be forced openfrom the outside of the packages, rather than by using the sliders. Thisopening action is carried out at an opening station 97 by a suitablemechanism provided for the specific zipper construction. After fillingat the filling station 104, the slider is moved to the closing end ofthe zipper.

[0050] A second variation of the fourth embodiment of the presentinvention is shown in FIG. 14. Under certain circumstances it may bedesirable to eliminate the step of opening the zipper for filling. Thiscan be done by sealing one zipper flange to one side of the folded filmat the first sealing station 90 prior to filling, as shown in FIG. 15,rather than sealing both flanges to the film as done previously.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 15, one flange 40 of the zipper is sealed to onewall 116 of the folded film 82 a distance below the top 120. The film 82protrudes above the zipper to form a pair of opposing ears 122. Toensure that the zipper flanges 40, 42 do not seal to each other or theother side of the package at the first sealing station 90, a J-shapedinsulator plate 124 is inserted between the zipper flanges 40, 42 andbetween the unsealed zipper flange 42 and the other package wall 118, asshown in FIG. 15. In addition, one of the seal bars 112 is kept hot andthe other 114 is deactivated. Then, at the second sealing station 94,the packages are cross-sealed from the bottom of the film 92 up to butnot including the zipper. When it comes time to fill the bag at thefilling station 104, the zipper is bent to one side, as shown in FIG.16. In this manner, filing may proceed unobstructed, and there is nodanger of contaminating the zipper. After filling, the unsealed zipperflange 42 is sealed to the other side of the package and the ears 122are sealed to each other by a pair of seal bars 126 with a perforationseal and a peel seal above the zipper 36, as shown in FIG. 17. At thesame time the ends of the zipper are cross-sealed together and end stopsfor the slider are created. The above indicated zipper cross-sealsextend below the zipper flanges into the package side seals, but notabove and beyond the zipper profiles.

[0052] A third variation of the fourth embodiment of the presentinvention is shown in FIG. 18. In this variation, the zipper 36 andslider 44 are attached to the bottom 128 of the package, rather than atthe top 120. As the film 82 is fed over the folder plow 86, a perforator130 perforates the film 82 below the slider 44 to form a pair ofperforations 132 (alternatively, a single perforation 132 a may beprovided). The zipper is then sealed to the bottom of the package bysealing the zipper flanges to the film beyond the perforation lines, asshown in FIG. 19. A peel seal 136 may be provided between the zipperflanges in order to maintain in the integrity of the packages.

[0053] The packages are completed as discussed above, except that theyare filled from the opposing end to which the zipper has been attached.Further, if a bottom gusset is required a V shaped film can beintroduced between the package walls 116 and 118 and sealed into place.During use, the packages are inverted so that the zipper and slider areat the top and the perforated portion 134 is tom away from the packageto gain access to the slider.

[0054] Thus, in the foregoing manner the object of the present inventionis achieved. Modifications to the above would be obvious to those ofordinary skill in the art, but would not bring the invention so modifiedbeyond the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:
 1. A method of making reclosable packages, said methodcomprising the steps of: feeding a supply of forming film in a packageforming direction; forming said forming film into a chain of bottompackage portions and advancing said chain in said package formingdirection; feeding a supply of top film in said package formingdirection; laying said top film on to said chain of bottom packageportions; sealing said top film to said chain of bottom package portionsto form a chain of packages, each of said packages including a pair ofopposing film extensions on one side thereof which are not sealed toeach other; feeding a supply of interlocked reclosable zipper betweenthe film extensions of said packages; sealing a length of saidreclosable zipper to the film extensions of each of said packages;providing a supply of sliders, each of said sliders being insertable onto said reclosable zipper and adapted to open and close said reclosablezipper as said slider is moved along said zipper in opening and closingdirections, respectively; and for each of said packages, removing aslider from said slider supply and inserting said slider on to saidreclosable zipper length.
 2. The method according to claim 1 includingthe step of separating the film extensions of said packages prior tofeeding said reclosable zipper therebetween.
 3. The method according toclaim 1 including the step of stomping the ends of said reclosablezipper lengths.
 4. The method according to claim 1 including the step ofcutting each of said packages from said package chain.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 1 wherein each of said packages includes a peel sealadjacent its reclosable zipper.
 6. A method of making packages havingslide zippers, said method comprising the steps of: providing a supplyof packages, each of said packages having a reclosable zipper; providinga supply of sliders, each of said sliders being insertable on to saidreclosable zipper and adapted to open and close said reclosable zipperas said slider is moved along said reclosable zipper in opening andclosing directions, respectively; and for each of said packages,removing a slider from said slider supply and inserting said slider onto said reclosable zipper.
 7. The method according to claim 6 whereinsaid packages are connected together in a chain.
 8. The method accordingto claim 7 including the step of cutting each of said packages from saidpackage chain.
 9. A method of making reclosable packages said methodcomprising the steps of: feeding a supply of forming film in a packageforming direction; forming said forming film into a chain of bottompackage portions, each of said bottom package portions having a lip onone side thereof; advancing said chain of bottom package portions insaid package forming direction; feeding a supply of interlockedreclosable zipper in said package forming direction; sealing a length ofsaid reclosable zipper to the lip of each of said bottom portions;providing a supply of sliders, each of said sliders being insertable onto said reclosable zipper and adapted to open and close said reclosablezipper as said slider is moved along said zipper in opening and closingdirections, respectively; for each of said bottom portions, removing aslider from said slider supply and inserting said slider on to saidreclosable zipper length; feeding a supply of top film in said packageforming direction; and sealing said top film to each bottom packageportion and its corresponding length of reclosable zipper to form achain of packages, each of said packages having a length of reclosablezipper and a slider.
 10. The method according to claim 9 including thestep of stomping the ends of said reclosable zipper lengths.
 11. Themethod according to claim 9 including the step of cutting each of saidpackages from said package chain.
 12. The method according to claim 9wherein each of said packages includes a peel seal adjacent itsreclosable zipper.
 13. The method according to claim 9 wherein halves ofsaid reclosable zipper are insulated from one another during saidsealing steps.
 14. The method according to claim 9 wherein said chain ofbottom package portions is comprised of at least two parallel joinedchains and wherein said top film is separated along pre-appliedperforations and sealed to each of said parallel chains.
 15. A method ofmaking reclosable packages, said method comprising the steps of: feedinga supply of package film in a package forming direction; folding saidpackage film about a bottom crease to form opposing package walls, saidopposing package walls advancing in said package forming direction;feeding a supply of interlocked reclosable zipper between said opposingpackage walls; sealing said reclosable zipper to said opposing packagewalls; providing a supply of sliders, each of said sliders beinginsertable on to said reclosable zipper and adapted to open and closesaid reclosable zipper as said slider is moved along said reclosablezipper in opening and closing directions, respectively; removing slidersfrom said slider supply and inserting said sliders on to said reclosablezipper; and cross-sealing said folded film at package-width intervals toform a chain of packages, each of said packages having a reclosablezipper and a slider.
 16. The method according to claim 15 wherein saidsliders are inserted on to said reclosable zipper prior to saidreclosable zipper being fed between said opposing package walls.
 17. Themethod according to claim 15 wherein said sliders are inserted on tosaid reclosable zipper after said zipper is fed between said opposingpackage walls.
 18. The method according to claim 16 wherein saidreclosable zipper is sealed to said opposing package walls adjacent saidbottom crease.
 19. The method according to claim 15 including theadditional steps of: opening the reclosable zipper of each package;filling each package; and closing the reclosable zipper of each package.20. The method according to claim 19 wherein the reclosable zipper ofeach package is opened by moving its slider from a closing end of thereclosable zipper to an opening end of the reclosable zipper.
 21. Themethod according to claim 19 wherein the reclosable zipper of eachpackage is opened by holding its slider in place as the package film isadvanced in the package forming direction.
 22. The method according toclaim 19 wherein the reclosable zipper of each package is closed bymoving its slider from an opening end of the reclosable zipper to aclosing end of the reclosable zipper.
 23. The method according to claim19 wherein the reclosable zipper of each package is opened by meansother than the slider.
 24. The method according to claim 15 includingthe step of sealing each package above its reclosable zipper to form atamper evident seal.
 25. The method according to claim 15 including thestep of cutting each of said packages from said chain of packages. 26.The method according to claim 15 wherein the ends of the reclosablezipper of each package are cross-sealed.
 27. The method according toclaim 15 wherein said reclosable zipper supply is stomped at packagewidth intervals.
 28. A method of making reclosable packages, said methodcomprising the steps of: feeding a supply of package film in a packageforming direction; folding said package film about a bottom crease toform opposing package walls, said opposing package walls advancing insaid package forming direction; feeding a supply of interlockedreclosable zipper between said opposing package walls; sealing one-halfof said reclosable zipper to a first of said package walls; providing asupply of sliders, each of said sliders being insertable on to saidreclosable zipper and adapted to open and close said zipper as saidslider is moving along said zipper in opening and closing directions,respectively; removing sliders from said slider supply and insertingsaid sliders on to said reclosable zipper; cross-sealing said foldedfilm at package-width intervals to form a chain of packages, each ofsaid packages having a reclosable zipper and a slider; filling each ofsaid packages; and sealing the unsealed half of the reclosable zipper ofeach of said packages to the other package wall.
 29. The methodaccording to claim 28 including the step of bending the reclosablezipper of each of said packages toward the package wall to which it issealed prior to filling said package.
 30. The method according to claim28 wherein during the sealing of said one-half of said reclosable zipperto said first package wall said reclosable zipper is insulated from theother package wall.
 31. The method according to claim 28 wherein duringsealing of said one-half of said reclosable zipper to said first packagewall said one-half of said reclosable zipper is at least partiallyinsulated from the other half of said reclosable zipper.
 32. The methodaccording to claim 28 including the step of cross-sealing the ends ofthe reclosable zipper of each package.
 33. The method according to claim28 wherein said zipper cross-seals extend into said package cross-seals.